]]>Adam Christodoulou’s Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup campaign ended in disappointing fashion after a puncture in the closing stages robbed him of a points finish at the Nürburgring.

Showing his familiarity with the former German Grand Prix venue, the 2016 Nürburgring 24 Hours winner powered through hanging fog to qualify the Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shared with Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen eighth in the 54-car field.

With several cars falling afoul of the tricky conditions, red flags duly brought the session to an early conclusion. Although Christodoulou believed he could have improved his time on the drying track without the interruption, his competitive banker lap was enough to put him on the fourth row of the grid, their best qualifying result of the season.

Haupt managed to avoid the customary opening lap shenanigans and brought the car back in a solid tenth, before handing over to Simonsen. However, an untimely Full Course Yellow allowed three cars that were running behind him to pit and come out ahead, demoting the 27-year-old to tenth. With course vehicles on the circuit to repair barrier damage, the Safety Car was then called on, which bunched the pack together.

Christodoulou had recovered two positions to eighth after the race returned to green, but with just ten minutes to go, he was punted from behind by a Bentley and forced off the track at the Dunlop Curve. The ensuing puncture forced the Briton to the pits for an unscheduled stop and dropped him out of the points to an unrepresentative 18th.

“It’s a really frustrating way to end the season when points were on the cards,” said Christodoulou. “The Jaguar running in front of me had just hit one of the bollards and had smoke pouring out of its front wheel, so I was lining up a move when the Bentley stuck his nose up the inside and put me sideways on the kerb. I tried to keep going, but I got a tyre pressure warning and had to come into the pits. It’s very disappointing, but our pace in qualifying was extremely strong and once we were running in clear air, we had good pace.

“For one reason or another we’ve had a lot of bad luck this year, but it only makes you appreciate the good results more when you do get them. We’ve improved a lot of things on the car during the season and it’s been really rewarding to see that progress at every race. I’d like to say a big thank you to Team Black Falcon, Hubert and Andreas for all their hard work this year.”

Christodoulou has another opportunity to set the record straight at the VLN 9 on October 8.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/09/28/puncture-thwarts-christodoulou-blancpain-endurance-finale/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/09/28/puncture-thwarts-christodoulou-blancpain-endurance-finale/Disappointment for Christodoulou after fightback goes unrewardedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/FLq5K7iKT88/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/08/03/disappointment-christodoulou-fightback-goes-unrewarded/#respondWed, 03 Aug 2016 16:51:29 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=608Adam Christodoulou was left to rue his misfortune after a rollercoaster weekend for the no. 57 Black Falcon team at the 24 Hours of Spa, round four of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. 27-year-old Christodoulou was the highest placed of the AMG contingent in forth position and in contention for a possible podium when

]]>Adam Christodoulou was left to rue his misfortune after a rollercoaster weekend for the no. 57 Black Falcon team at the 24 Hours of Spa, round four of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.
27-year-old Christodoulou was the highest placed of the AMG contingent in forth position and in contention for a possible podium when the Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shared with Andreas Simonsen and Hubert Haupt developed a suspension problem with seven hours remaining. After a quick stop for repairs, the problem returned and necessitated a spell in the garage which dropped the car out of contention.

The team’s race came to a dramatic end inside the final hour when Simonsen was collected by an out-of-control rival during a heavy rain shower. Fortunately, the Swede emerged with only minor bruising, a testament to the strength of the new-for-2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
It was a poor reward for a strong drive from the pitlane after engine problems were detected during Thursday practice that required it to be changed.
The engine change also meant the No. 57 team missed the entirety of the pre-qualifying and qualifying sessions, only emerging mid-way through night-qualifying, which was used primarily as an extended test session and to get acclimatised to the challenge of driving the 7 kilometer Spa-Francorchamps circuit in full darkness.

Second in the Saturday warmup hinted at what might have been possible in qualifying, but starting from the back would consign them to playing a waiting game as others hit trouble.
Despite two punctures during Hubert’s opening stint, this strategy was beginning to pay off as back-to-back double stints through the night from Simonsen and Christodoulou elevated them into the top-five by half-distance.
However, lady luck was not on the side of Nürburgring 24 Hour winner Christodoulou on this occasion, as Simonsen reported a problem with the wishbone caused by a loose bolt. Unfortunately, the problem was more severe than it first appeared and meant several laps were lost while the car sat in the garage.

“We went back-to-back doubles between Andreas and I for a few hours, and it was all looking great,” Christodoulou said. “Around the half-way point we were up to fourth, our pace was good and we were thinking that a podium was in range, but unfortunately something started to rattle its way loose when Andreas was in the car and he had a bit of play in the steering, so we came in and fixed it in the pitlane. Unfortunately we then had to come back in again, which dropped us out of the top 20 within a matter of a few minutes.
“It’s a real shame how our race ended after all the hard work the Black Falcon guys put in to get everything ready, but Mercedes-AMG build a strong car and Andreas was able to get out under his own steam after such a big impact.”
Whilst the end result was highly disappointing after such a competitive showing, Christodoulou was pleased with the way the team overcame their early setbacks and thrust themselves into contention, which bodes well for the final round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring in September.
“I was happy with the performances of everybody on our car, all of my stints were extremely clean and I was able to make good progress,” he added. “The crew executed everything very well at the pitstops and our strategy was on point as well, but sadly the final result didn’t reflect the work we put into it. Hopefully we can set that right on our return to the Nürburgring!”

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/08/03/disappointment-christodoulou-fightback-goes-unrewarded/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/08/03/disappointment-christodoulou-fightback-goes-unrewarded/Christodoulou wins closest-ever Nürburgring 24http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/ex_zeZ288Rc/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/30/christodoulou-wins-closest-ever-nurburgring-24/#respondMon, 30 May 2016 19:59:01 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=572Adam Christodoulou became only the fourth British winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours after a dramatic final lap that saw the No. 4 AMG-Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 take victory by the narrowest margin in event history. It is the biggest win of the 26-year-old’s career so far and his first since becoming an official AMG driver over the winter. After 24 hours of hard

]]>Adam Christodoulou became only the fourth British winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours after a dramatic final lap that saw the No. 4 AMG-Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 take victory by the narrowest margin in event history.

It is the biggest win of the 26-year-old’s career so far and his first since becoming an official AMG driver over the winter.

After 24 hours of hard racing around the most difficult circuit in the world, Christodoulou shared the top step of the podium with 2013 winner Bernd Schneider, Manuel Metzger and Maro Engel, who overtook the AMG-Team HTP Motorsport no. 29 driven by Christian Hohenadel on the 134th and last racing lap.

“It all came down to whether we were going to do an extra lap or not,” Christodoulou explained. “We had the fuel to do it, but we were uncertain whether the other car did, so we had to keep the pressure on.

“But once we realised that the opportunity was there and we could force an extra lap out of the race, of course we went for it. Maro drove his socks off and was hunting him down, he saw the gap and he went for it. Those last two laps went from wanting the race to go on longer to carry on the fight, to the checkered flag not coming soon enough! The whole thing feels a bit surreal, I shouted that hard when we got the lead, I think I’ve lost my voice!”

Adverse weather conditions are almost to be expected at the Nürburgring, but few could have predicted the extent to which it would arrive in the first hour of the race. After starting 17th, Christodoulou had made his way up to tenth in the first two laps and passed the no. 2 Audi for ninth through Fuchsruhe,just as the rain started to hit between Adenauer Forst and Kesselchen.

The vast majority of the field including Christodoulou stayed out on the slick tyres they had started with, only to find hailstones the size of golfballs and rivers of water at the fast left-hander at Schweudenkreutz on the following lap. As several of his rivals aquaplaned off the road, Christodoulou quickly took stock of the situation and slowed down, crucially managing to keep the car on the road until the red flags were thrown. at you don’t catch any of them at a bad point.

Christodoulou’s next stint came at around 11:30pm as the track began to dry. Christodoulou reported a vibration a few laps into his stint and pitted for a new set of tyres, which put the AMG-Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 off-strategy withAMG-Team HTP Motorsport and would allow them to run longer in the final stint.

After a few hours rest while Engel charged up to second, Christodoulou returned to the cockpit as daylight made a welcome return and on Lap 92 set the fastest lap of the race at that point as he battled over the lead with the no. 88 Haribo Racing Team-AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Exiting the car with around five hours to go, all he could do was watch as Metzger and Schneider completed their stints, before Engel took over for the finish.

“I think every driver gets nervous before a race, but watching from the pits I was falling apart starting to realise we might pull this off,” he said. “The last two laps are always chaos because if you don’t cross the checkered flag you aren’t classified, so suddenly with five minutes to go there must have been 20 cars that shot out of the pitlane, so you just hope that you don’t catch any of them at a bad point.

“In the end my team-mates did a stunning job, every stint they did was full attack. The boys from AMG-Team Black Falcon executed all of their pitstops perfectly, which is something that the team has always put a lot of work into. For Black Falcon to win it a second time, so soon after the first one in 2013 shows just how strong they are.

“I’d like to dedicate this one to Sean Edwards because this was the last 24 Hour race that he raced and won, with Black Falcon a few years ago. I only met him a few times, but when I watched him win here, I remember thinking ‘one day that’s where I want to be, I want to be fighting at the front of this race’. I feel very fortunate to have been given thatopportunity and would like to thank everybody at AMG-Team Black Falcon and everyone involved for all their hard work.”

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/30/christodoulou-wins-closest-ever-nurburgring-24/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/30/christodoulou-wins-closest-ever-nurburgring-24/Christodoulou ready for 24 Hours of the ‘Green Hell’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/5kTccsaE62Y/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/27/christodoulou-ready-24-hours-green-hell/#respondFri, 27 May 2016 08:29:29 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=550AMG driver Adam Christodoulou is hoping that this weekend will see him join the illustrious list of winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, a feat accomplished only three times by a British driver in the 44 year-history of the event. Christodoulou will share the no. 4 AMG – Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Maro

]]>AMG driver Adam Christodoulou is hoping that this weekend will see him join the illustrious list of winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, a feat accomplished only three times by a British driver in the 44 year-history of the event.

Christodoulou will share the no. 4 AMG – Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Maro Engel, Manuel Metzger and Bernd Schneider, who was part of the AMG Customer Sports Team Black Falcon line-up which triumphed with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in 2013.

The 26-year-old has good form at the ‘Green Hell’, having finished on the podium in both VLN meetings he has entered this year and ran at the front of the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2015 before his left-rear wheel parted company during the uphill climb through Kesselchen. (https://youtu.be/iWWNSrBUtGA)

This time around, Christodoulou is eager to make amends with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 at his disposal, which has already proven its credentials by winning the 6 Hour Qualifying race and adding victories in both the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Cups.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is the biggest race of the year, so I’m looking forward to it more than the pressure that comes with it,” he said. “It’s a race that every driver wants to be a part of and the manufacturers are really pushing hard for.

“The last few years we’ve been in a position to win but for one reason or another it hasn’t been possible. Everything has to be so perfect for this race, but Black Falcon have won it before, AMG are supporting it more than ever before and we’ve got three driver line-ups within AMG-Team Black Falcon that could all potentially win, so that puts us in an extremely strong position.”

As with any 24 Hour race, an element of caution will be required to see the team safely through the night and into the morning, but with 157 cars on track at once, not to mention the famously unpredictable weather, Christodoulou will have his work cut out to come out on top of the pile.

“The weather forecast isn’t looking too pretty for the whole week, so it’s going to be extremely tricky and just means you have to be a little bit reserved, because it’s even easier to make a mistake in the wet conditions,” he said. “But the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has proven to be extremely strong wherever it’s gone and been at the top of its game winning sprint races and endurance races already this year, so we just have to continue the momentum into this weekend.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is always different to any other 24 Hours, with the strain that’s put on both man and machine, it’s not necessarily the fastest car that wins but the one that stays out of trouble and doesn’t make any mistakes, so that’s what we need to focus on.”

Track action started yesterday with practice and a qualifying session, before the highly-anticipated Superpole session today sets the top 30 cars on the grid. Having qualified fourth and second in the last two years, Christodoulou is likely be once again be in the thick of the fight for pole, before the race itself gets underway from 15:30 local time on Saturday.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/27/christodoulou-ready-24-hours-green-hell/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/27/christodoulou-ready-24-hours-green-hell/Christodoulou’s charge goes unrewarded at Silverstonehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/PsS_BJZsPWM/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/17/christodoulous-charge-goes-unrewarded-silverstone/#respondTue, 17 May 2016 12:47:50 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=528Adam Christodoulou was left to rue what might have been after finishing just one second outside the points in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone. The Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 the Englishman shared with Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen was due to start from 17th when it did not start on

]]>Adam Christodoulou was left to rue what might have been after finishing just one second outside the points in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone.

The Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 the Englishman shared with Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen was due to start from 17th when it did not start on the dummy grid. So Haupt had to take the start from the pitlane on cold rubber that hadn’t been warmed up properly. Despite this, the German made excellent progress in the opening stint, charging from 52nd on the grid to 24th by the time he handed over to Simonsen, who had climbed into the top 15 when Christodoulou took over for the final stint.

However, a congested pitlane meant Simonsen couldn’t get his car close enough to the fuel rig and resulted in a slow stop which cost the team several positions to the cars around them. A Safety Car helped bunch the field up again, but a slow-moving Ferrari that didn’t catch up to the back of the train repeatedly delayed the start and cost Christodoulou an estimated five additional racing laps.

Once the race eventually went green again, the AMG driver was able to work his way through to 11th, but ran out of time to make a pass on the Attempto Racing Lamborghini for the final points-paying position.

“I’ve got mixed emotions after this race because I was happy with my performance and how the car felt, but at the same time it was frustrating because we definitely didn’t get the result we deserved,” said Christodoulou. “The pitstops weren’t very smooth due to the traffic which cost us time, but the real story of the race was unfortunately we had to start from the pitlane, which meant we were at a disadvantage straight away.”

“My team-mates both did a really good job and I enjoyed some really intense battles, it’s just a shame that we missed out on getting points at my home circuit by one second, but we’ll keep learning and improving as the season goes on. I’d also like to extend my congratulations to our sister car with Maro Engel, Miguel Toril and Oliver Morley; they had a great race and got into the lead on the last lap, to take the win in the Pro-Am category, so well done to them and to Black Falcon.”

Next Race : Nurburgring 24 hours 28th – 29th May

Christodoulou’s next race is at the Home of German Motorsport, for his biggest challenge of the season, The Nurburgring 24 hours, on May 28th-29th, the ultimate race that tests man and machine.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/17/christodoulous-charge-goes-unrewarded-silverstone/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/17/christodoulous-charge-goes-unrewarded-silverstone/Christodoulou takes second in final Nürburgring 24 warmuphttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/QQLkNHyUw7A/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/04/christodoulou-takes-second-final-nurburgring-24-warmup/#respondWed, 04 May 2016 21:45:52 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=519Adam Christodoulou completed his preparations for the Nürburgring 24 Hours with a strong run to second in a VLN2 race which saw the full spectrum of Eifel weather. The Englishman drove the final stint of the four-hour enduro aboard the AMG – Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 after team-mates Maro Engel, Bernd Schneider and Manuel

]]>Adam Christodoulou completed his preparations for the Nürburgring 24 Hours with a strong run to second in a VLN2 race which saw the full spectrum of Eifel weather.

The Englishman drove the final stint of the four-hour enduro aboard the AMG – Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 after team-mates Maro Engel, Bernd Schneider and Manuel Metzger had completed their stints and was delighted with a second successive VLN podium that leaves the team in high spirits ahead of their biggest race of the season.

Starting from pole after a qualifying session in changeable conditions, Engel found the circuit had dried much faster than anticipated and switched to slicks at the end of Lap One. That put the Mercedes-AMG GT3 into a dogfight with the Phoenix Racing Audi which lasted throughout the first hour, the two cars rarely separated by more than a few seconds.

The two cars were in close attention for the remainder of the race, but a late splash-and-dash as a legacy of the early stop meant Christodoulou was ultimately too far back to capitalise on a final-lap shower that made the Nordschleife resemble a 20.8km ice rink. While several around him found the barriers, Christodoulou was able to bring the car home undamaged, second of 181 starters.

“On the last lap it was pretty interesting – there must’ve been ten different incidents!” reported the official AMG driver. “It was one of those where you were a little unsure how much you could push or what you can get away with – I had a few exciting moments! But you can’t give up, you’ve always got to push because you never know what’s going to happen or whether someone is going to make a mistake.

“In the end I’m very happy with how it went, it’s a good confidence-building result going into the 24 hours,” he continued. “With mixed conditions, setup and strategy are always a gamble and we had to manage it as well as we could as the race went on. It was all about finishing the race, being safe and learning from this race for the 24 hours.

“I’m feeling pretty good for it, I’ve got three fast team-mates, a team that’s won the 24 hours before and a manufacturer that’s supporting us really well and giving us the best opportunity to try and go for the win.”

Christodoulou’s next race is at the Home of British Motorsport, Silverstone, on May 14-15, for the second round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/04/christodoulou-takes-second-final-nurburgring-24-warmup/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/05/04/christodoulou-takes-second-final-nurburgring-24-warmup/Christodoulou makes positive start to Blancpain season in Monzahttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/kR-TKvY2h5U/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/26/christodoulou-makes-positive-start-blancpain-season-monza/#respondTue, 26 Apr 2016 16:05:48 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=485Adam Christodoulou made a strong impression on the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Monza as the Black Falcon driver came away with a top six finish in class. With 57 GT3 cars on a very busy grid, the weekend would largely be determined by qualifying, in particular the third session when the track is

]]>Adam Christodoulou made a strong impression on the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Monza as the Black Falcon driver came away with a top six finish in class.

With 57 GT3 cars on a very busy grid, the weekend would largely be determined by qualifying, in particular the third session when the track is at its best. However, after positive sessions for team-mates Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen, Christodoulou was left frustrated when he got in for Q3, as continual traffic left the no. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 mired in 19th place.

Unfazed by the challenge facing them, the Black Falcon crew made steady progress in the opening stint, as Haupt kept the car out of trouble and gradually chipped away at those ahead of him. A good pitstop and decisive overtaking meant Simonsen was able to climb into the top ten during the middle stint, but when Christodoulou came to leave the pits for the run to the flag, he found himself boxed in by the race-leading McLaren GT which had pitted on the following lap. The delay in pushing the car back meant Christodoulou lost a position to the no. 7 Bentley driven by Steven Kane, who put up a stern defence before Christodoulou was able to find a way past into the second chicane.

Despite a radio issue, the 26-year-old AMG driver was one of the fastest on track and set the race’s third quickest lap on lap 85 in his pursuit of the no. 28 WRT Audi for sixth overall. However, with the hard work done, contact with an unsighted backmarker allowed the Audi back through again, resulting in a seventh-place finish overall and sixth in the Pro class.

“I think it’s ended up being a good start, we banked some good points to start our championship off with and from where we started, I’m pretty pleased with how the weekend turned out,” he said. “Qualifying was frustrating because with 57 cars on track, trying to find a clear lap is almost impossible. I had a clear lap up until the final corner when one of my competitors was on the racing line, so I had to overtake and that cost me around two tenths. It might not sound like much, but two tenths was the difference between maybe ten or eleven positions.”

“It was a bit of a shame to lose the time in the pits because it meant the Bentley was able to get past and made it very difficult for me to overtake. After that I was doing qualifying lap after qualifying lap to catch the cars in front, which I did with a few laps to go. But unfortunately I had a little bit of contact lapping a Ferrari which spun me round, so I lost the position again. It went from a little bit tame in the middle of the stint to a bit chaotic in the last lap or two, but it was an exciting race and a good start for Black Falcon and Mercedes-AMG heading into the rest of the season.”

Christodoulou returns to the Nürburgring Nordschleife next weekend for VLN 2, as preparations intensify for the Nürburgring 24 Hours next month.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/26/christodoulou-makes-positive-start-blancpain-season-monza/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/26/christodoulou-makes-positive-start-blancpain-season-monza/Podium Finish for Christodoulou in Mercedes-AMG VLN Season Openerhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/OjQvZ8DpFP0/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/08/podium-finish-christodoulou-mercedes-amg-vln-season-opener/#respondFri, 08 Apr 2016 12:41:41 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=412Third place for AMG driver Christodoulou in VLN season opener. Adam Christodoulou marked his first race as an official AMG Driver with a podium in the first VLN meeting of the year. The event drew a healthy field of 174 competitors with 30 SP9 GT3 entries, and was the first held since speed restrictions on

Adam Christodoulou marked his first race as an official AMG Driver with a podium in the first VLN meeting of the year.

The event drew a healthy field of 174 competitors with 30 SP9 GT3 entries, and was the first held since speed restrictions on the Döttinger Höhe were lifted and the crest at Flugplatz re-profiled. However, unseasonal snow in the Eiffel Mountains and several lengthy red flag periods meant the 26-year-old Briton completed very little pre-event testing in his new AMG-Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3, putting him on the back foot ahead of qualifying.

Even with the combined experience of team-mates Bernd Schneider, Maro Engel and Manuel Metzger, deciding on the optimal setup would prove a dilemma, so a laptime of 8:10.88s – enough for eighth on the grid and seventh in class – constituted a good result under the circumstances.

Engel took the start and held a strong seventh place in the opening stages before an early pitstop vaulted the Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the lead. After Schneider and Metzger completed their stints, Christodoulou was strapped aboard for the final stint and exited the pits in third. Although he briefly lost the place whilst getting his tyres up to temperature, the Briton would resume third spot with a lap to go to seal the fourth VLN podium finish of his career.

The no. 6 car machine crossed the line just 23 seconds behind the winner after of four hours of racing, a result that will come as a significant confidence-boost to the entire AMG-Team Black Falcon squad ahead of the Mercedes-AMG GT3’s first attempt at the prestigious Nürburgring 24 Hour race on May 26-29.
“I’m delighted, to get a podium on our first race with the new car around the Nordschleife is a great result and I’m especially pleased as it’s my first race as an AMG Driver as well,” said Christodoulou. “Our testing was extremely restricted with the snow in the morning and the red flags, so with the limited amount of track-time we’ve had with our new car, we’ve got to be very happy with third.

“It’s a good base line for us to work from, but we know we need to improve our performance in time for the 24 hours to be able to fight for the outright win.”

Christodoulou’s next race will be the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup curtain-raiser at Monza with AMG-Team Black Falcon on 23-24 April.

]]>http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/08/podium-finish-christodoulou-mercedes-amg-vln-season-opener/feed/0http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/04/08/podium-finish-christodoulou-mercedes-amg-vln-season-opener/Christodoulou named as official AMG Driverhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdamChristodoulouNews/~3/GqTaWxRaqng/
http://www.adamchristo.com/2016/03/21/christodoulou-named-official-amg-customer-driver/#respondMon, 21 Mar 2016 14:50:05 +0000http://www.adamchristo.com/?p=371The 26-year-old from Lichfield becomes the only British member of AMG’s ten-strong AMG Driver line-up for the VLN and Nürburgring 24 Hours, where he will race the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 for AMG-Team Black Falcon. On his most recent outing with AMG in the Dubai 24 Hours, Christodoulou led the charge from 98th on the grid

]]>The 26-year-old from Lichfield becomes the only British member of AMG’s ten-strong AMG Driver line-up for the VLN and Nürburgring 24 Hours, where he will race the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 for AMG-Team Black Falcon.

On his most recent outing with AMG in the Dubai 24 Hours, Christodoulou led the charge from 98th on the grid to finish second, overtaking 22 cars on the opening lap of the race in the process, and is now looking forward to taking on the famed Nordschleife in the Affalterbach brand’s latest offering, the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The announcement comes after a highly successful 2015 season that saw Christodoulou qualify second for the Nürburgring 24 Hours and take two VLN victories, including the season highlight 6 Stunden ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen and the DMV 250-Meilen-Rennen, each with Black Falcon.

“It is absolutely a dream come true,” Christodoulou said. “Being recognised as an AMG Driver is something that every driver works towards and now it’s finally happened I’m a little lost for words. I’ve raced with Black Falcon for the last three years now and it’s thanks to the efforts they have put in that it has been possible to make this happen.”

Christodoulou was involved in the testing program of the Mercedes-AMG GT3,conducting a thirty hour test at Portimao last year and is optimistic that he can hit the ground running when racing resumes at VLN 1, 62. ADAC Westfalenfahrt on April 2nd.

“We walked away with quite a few wins last year and I want to add more to that collection, which together with Mercedes-AMG and AMG–Team Black Falcon I am confident will be possible,” he added. “The new Mercedes-AMG GT3 has got some pretty big boots to fill, but any parts from the SLS AMG GT3 that could have been improved were improved and the results have been very impressive. It is more fuel efficient, has increased aerodynamic efficiencyand has more mechanical grip – Mercedes-AMG have done a really great job with it, so I am looking forward to another solid year and racking up more wins as the season goes on.”

About Adam
AMG driver Adam Christodoulou is one of the foremost British talents in GT racing, with 30 career wins to date. To find out more about Adam and his achievements, click here.

About AMG Customer Sports
Entering customer sports in 2011 with the SLS AMG GT3, private customer teams have claimed numerous victories and international championships – including the “Grand Slam” of the GT3 endurance classics in 2013, with wins in Dubai, Bathurst, at the Nürburgring and the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This unparalleled success will be continued with the new Customer Sport vehicle, the Mercedes-AMG GT3. A characteristic of the Customer Sports concept is its extensive support structure – from technical training, through on-the-ground service to the online ordering system for replacement parts. An internal championship, test days and a driver pool complete the AMG Customer Sports program.

About VLN
VLN is an endurance championship based around the fearsome Nürburgring Nordschleife. With ten rounds regularly attracting up to 200 entries, the VLN is regarded as one of the most fiercely contested series in Europe.